[Decision Concerning Army Medical Recruitment Incentives]

The Army requested a decision regarding whether it could use recruitment appropriations to pay for posters it planned to give away through prize drawings at medical conventions. GAO held that: (1) it had no objection to the Army's use of recruitment appropriations to pay for the posters, since they helped to fulfill its mission to recruit physicians; and (2) the Army had a regulation prohibiting the use of gifts of more than slight monetary value for recruiting efforts. Accordingly, the Army could use the appropriated funds for the posters if it determined that such use was permissible under its own regulations.